Sweet Potato and Pecan Stuffing and a Giveaway

Thanksgiving in most households just wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without the stuffing would it? I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard people say that the best part of Thanksgiving dinner is the sides! Of course, at our Thanksgiving dinner we’ll always have Southern Cornbread Dressing which is an altogether different thing from stuffing, but I won’t get into that today :-)

Even though dressing is our tradition, I was really intrigued by a request from Pepperidge Farm to create a new stuffing recipe using their new Unseasoned Cubed Stuffing. This is a simple mixture of white and wheat bread cubes with no herbs or other seasonings included. You get to add whatever your heart desires to make your stuffing recipe unique! And you should have seen all the responses I got when I asked a question on the Never Enough Thyme Facebook page about what people like in their stuffing! That one question got more interaction than anything I’ve ever posted on Facebook. Apparently people are really passionate about stuffing.

However, I knew that for my stuffing recipe I wanted something that used Southern ingredients. I chose sweet potatoes and pecans. Sweet potatoes because they’re a part of most people’s Thanksgiving menu and pecans because Georgia is a leading producer. I hope you enjoy this recipe. It was so much fun making it and taste testing it for all of you!

Also, be sure to read all the way to the bottom of the post to find out how to enter to win 2 packages of Pepperidge Farm’s Unseasoned Cubed Stuffing for your Thanksgiving dinner.

Before we get started, let me just say that you are going to either need the largest pots and bowls in your kitchen or work in batches for this recipe. It makes a lot of stuffing! The skillet that I used is my chicken fryer which is 12″ across and 3″ deep and it was full.

Start by cooking the sausage in your large skillet or a large pot over medium heat until no pink color remains. I like to break mine up with a potato masher while it’s cooking so that I don’t get little clumps of sausage. You do what you like, though. Use a slotted spoon to remove the cooked sausage to a paper towel-lined plate. Set aside. Discard the fat left in the pan and return it to the heat.

Add the butter to the skillet or pot over medium high heat. When the butter has melted, add the sweet potatoes, onions, celery, sage, half the salt, and half the pepper. Sauté, stirring frequently, until the onions are soft but don’t let them brown.

Now add the orange juice and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat a bit and cook until the sweet potatoes are nearly tender.

Pour the package of Pepperidge Farm Unseasoned Cubed Stuffing into a very large mixing bowl. Pretty isn’t it? I especially like that it’s half white and half wheat bread. We need that whole grain, you know!

On top of the stuffing, add the cooked, drained sausage, sweet potato-onion-celery mixture, pecans, and raisins. Mix well. (Hint: mixing the stuffing is easiest with your hands. Just take your rings off and get in there!) Season with the remaining salt and pepper. Taste and add more seasoning if you think the mixture needs it.

When you’re ready to bake the stuffing, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Heavily butter a 15×10 glass baking dish. (That’s a really large casserole dish. If you don’t have one that large, just use two or more smaller ones.)

Beat together the eggs and chicken broth in a small bowl. Pour the egg mixture over the stuffing mixture and toss to combine.

Transfer the stuffing to the prepared baking dish. Bake until the top is lightly browned and crisp around the edges (about 50 minutes). Cool slightly before serving.

TO DO AHEAD: You can saute the veggies up to two days ahead of time and store them, covered, in the refrigerator. A few hours before you’re ready to bake the stuffing, remove the veggies from the fridge and let them come to room temperature. Proceed with mixing and baking the stuffing.

Cook the sausage in a very large skillet or a large pot over medium heat until no pink color remains. Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate. Set aside.

Add the butter to the skillet or pan over medium high heat. When the butter melts, add the sweet potatoes, onions, celery, sage, half the salt, and half the pepper to the pot. Sauté until the onions are soft but do not allow them to brown. Add the orange juice and bring it to a boil. Cook until the sweet potatoes are nearly tender.

In a very large mixing bowl, combine the Pepperidge Farm Unseasoned Cubed Stuffing, sausage, sweet potato mixture, pecans, and raisins. Mix well. Season with the remaining salt and pepper adding more if you think the mixture needs it.

When ready to bake the stuffing, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Heavily butter a 15x10 baking dish.

Beat together the eggs and chicken broth in a small bowl. Pour over the stuffing mixture and toss to combine. Transfer to the prepared baking dish.

Bake until the top is lightly browned and crisp around the edges (about 50 minutes). Cool slightly before serving.

Notes

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CLOSED: And now for the giveaway! Pepperidge Farm is giving away 2 packages of their Unseasoned Cubed Stuffing to 2 Never Enough Thyme readers just in time for Thanksgiving! To enter the giveaway, just leave a comment on this post telling how you’d use your Unseasoned Cubed Stuffing if you win.

You can earn extra entries by doing any or all of the following, then come back here and leave an additional comment for each that you did:

The giveaway is sponsored by Pepperidge Farm and is limited to residents of the continental U.S. The giveaway ends on Wednesday, November 20, at 11:59 PM EST. The winners will be selected and will have 24 hours to respond with shipping information. If there is no response after 24 hours, an alternate winner will be selected.

I’m required by FTC rules to disclose to my readers that I will be compensated for my work on this post. A girl has to pay the bills, you know. But anything I say here is 100% my own opinion. Always has been, always will be.

This really looks good. I like that the stuffing is unseasoned, so that you can choose your own flavor profile. It would be interesting with some fresh spinach, cheeses, and other yummies , to stuff a butterflied pork loin. Just an idea. You can try it out for us.

Stuffing is a must for sure, and my favorite Thanksgiving side. We love making our stuffing with butternut squash, it gives the dish a great flavor. Your recipe looks delicious, and love your addition of pecans! Hugs, Terra

I would use the stuffing to make Lana’s delicious sounding recipe (which I have printed and plan to use this Thanksgiving) and maybe try making some stuffing with cranberries and/or apples in addition to the sweet potatoes.